


Unexpected Bonds

by TheOnlyWife



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Family Fluff, Gender-Neutral pronouns for Clockwork, Guardian-Ward Relationship, Parenthood, Vlad is a good parent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:55:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27955757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOnlyWife/pseuds/TheOnlyWife
Summary: Something changed after he agreed to a truce with Daniel. Something Vlad was thankful for, at the end of it all.
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Vlad Masters
Comments: 17
Kudos: 161





	Unexpected Bonds

Vlad Masters was not a petty person, if one asked him. He was not a cruel man either, something he prided himself on. At least, he had given up his escapades that somehow always ended up with him twirling his cartoonish mustache and laughing evilly.

He used to revel in his snide comments and off-handed remarks about others (especially Jack Fenton), but ever since Daniel and him had come to an agreement, he’d found it difficult.

The agreement was simple. Vlad would not attack Daniel or anyone he held dear, his haunt Amity Park included. And, likewise, Daniel would not attack Vlad, his haunt, or anyone he held dear. The ‘people he held dear’ part might have been a joke on the boy’s part, since only Madeline, Daniel, and his own cat, Maddie (named after the capital city of Wisconsin) counted.

He looked over at the young boy, stretching his legs after the sparring match they just finished with. He’d found it extremely difficult, as of late, to try anything that involved hurting Daniel and anyone he loved.

Increasingly so, he’d found it hard to let him leave his care to fight another ghost. Where he used to scoff and tell him to have fun, he’d let him leave, but would not for the life of him be able to focus on anything but the thought of Daniel getting hurt.

Vlad had actually followed him one time, wary of what Skulker, who had come to him requesting weapons the previous night (of which he obviously turned down) had planned.

They were on good terms, as Daniel would put it. A truce, if truces were permanent, established relationships instead of temporary hostilities put aside until a goal was achieved.

And, yes, Vlad thought this to be a permanent thing, if Daniel would allow it. He couldn’t imagine hurting the boy again. The idea sickened him as much as he would feel about hurting Madeline.

Which, as he noted recently, hadn’t bothered him as much as he thought it would. He’d felt distant from her, if anything. It used to be a burning, intense love, fueled by rage and jealousy. Now it was more of a passing love: faint except for small smiles and carefully chosen words, as if he had to impress her, lest something be taken away from him.

Something had changed, that much was obvious.

He just hadn’t paid it much mind. It didn’t matter, not really. He had more important things to worry about.

At least, he hadn’t paid much attention until Daniel noticed something he hadn’t.

“Was that door always there?” he pointed to a small, wooden door down the hall they were walking.

“Yes, Daniel.” He thought the boy was joking, of course. “I have not remodeled recently, if that is what you are asking.”

“No, no. I swear that wasn’t always there.” Daniel skipped up to the door, knocking on it twice. “Hello?” he knocked again. “Anyone there?”

Now that Vlad really looked at it, he noticed that it came with an odd aura. Dark blue and constantly shifting, something that felt very out of place in his still, fiery-red aura’d haunt.

“Don’t touch that.” He rushed up to Daniel, grabbing him by the shoulder to pull him back when he went for the doorknob. “You may be right, but we should not open mysterious doors.”

“Well...what else are we gonna do?” Daniel shrugged his loose grip off, gesturing to the door. “Ignore it?”

A mysterious door with an odd aura; No, he was not going to ignore this. If setting up a trap portal to the Infinite Realms was some ghost’s idea of a prank, then they picked the wrong haunt to jest in.

“Step back, please.” he said, to which Daniel complied.

He opened it carefully, making sure to keep an eye on Daniel in case this was more than just a prank. The room was pitch black, save for a bit of light coming in from a window in the back of the room.

He felt along the wall for a lightswitch, but found none. Instead, the room lit up itself, revealing what Vlad was least expecting.

“Woah!” Daniel ran into the room, excitedly jumping from object to object.

It was to be expected, since this room was practically made for the boy. A full-sized bed lined up against the wall, with galaxy blankets and pillows covering the sheets. Several bookshelves full of novels that Vlad recognized from his own library as being about space exploration and journeys were against the back wall.

A large, wooden desk held a laptop covered in images of the things Vlad knew Daniel liked. Band stickers, memes Daniel had shown him, and other things he wasn’t too familiar with, but recognized all the same.

“This is so cool!” Daniel jumped onto the bed, then gasped at the ceiling. “Oh my god that’s amazing!”

Vlad looked up to see what he had seen: A colorful array of stars and planets, arranged in a circular fashion, as if looking at a globe from the inside.

“When did you make this?” Daniel asked, sounding as happy as ever.

He _hadn’t_. He had never authorized whoever put this module in his house, nor had he ever seen that door before. However, for some reason or another, he was not angry. 

Usually, if one of his staff even _touched_ something he didn’t want them to, he would become outraged. His temper had only grown stronger towards those his haunt deemed unworthy.

None of that applied to Daniel, of course. He was always welcome, even if he only brought mischief. This room should have applied, it being something he had never welcomed in the first place. But it being here, along with Daniel being pleased with it, warmed his heart.

It warmed his heart so much that he allowed Daniel to spend a few nights sleeping in that room. Daniel had asked for his permission and he had given it. He hadn’t wanted to, but it was like some strange force convinced him to give into the boy’s request.

He noticed that happening a few other times as well. Daniel wanted to skip training that day and he’d accept. Daniel wanted Vlad to drive him to school that day and he’d accept. Daniel wanted to have a second dessert when they ate together and he’d accept.

Though, that was also changing as of late. He’d found himself turning the boy down when it came to his own well-being. The ungodly amount of junk food Daniel ate would have to change if he wanted to stay in good condition.

He found himself making meal plans specifically for a teenager’s appetite in mind, leaving room for a few snacks that he was inevitably going to sneak in at his friend’s houses.

As for doing Danny favors, he found it hard to say no, especially when it involved him. An outing together, ‘hanging out’ as he would put it, was the most exciting thing to happen in Vlad’s mind. Just him and his child watching a movie or going rollerblading, though he was no good at the sport.

He hadn’t been sure when ‘Daniel’ had become ‘Danny’, nor when ‘his child’ was no longer an odd thing to think. He hadn’t wanted to worry the boy that he was reverting back to his old ways of trying to force himself as his father, so he kept his thoughts to himself.

Surely this was an unreciprocated feeling.

* * *

Danny didn’t know when, but something had changed with Vlad. He always thought the guy was kinda a creep, but lately that wasn’t the case.

He’d been kind and caring, even to the point of being a bit annoying (who made meal plans for some kid they hardly knew?). But, then again, they did know each other. Danny knew Vlad’s favorite cereal, hobby, and more things he never thought he would know.

He knew his mansion like his own house. Which doors led where, what hallways were shortcuts when running late. He even knew about the cool secret passageway with no doors where he made a little nest with pillows and blankets for some sneaky naps.

At least, he had thought he’d known every door until he came across one that he didn’t. He’d wanted to get close, but Vlad kept warning him it was dangerous. 

At some point, he listened to what Vlad was saying, becoming equally as worried. He had hid behind Vlad when asked to, only risking a look when the lights turned on.

The room was the most perfect bedroom he’d ever seen. The stars on the ceiling were the best part because they were accurate to the real night sky he’d studied many times.

He had insisted he spend at least one night, of which he thought Vlad would turn him down, but the guy didn’t. In fact, he hardly turned him down for anything. Except for his, admittedly bad, eating habits.

He hadn’t thought much about it until Vlad came to visit at his own house. He’d usually have to excuse himself to take a painkiller halfway through because whenever Vlad came over it gave him a raging headache and a racing pulse.

In the past it would alert him of any surprise visits Vlad made when he thought no one would notice.

This time, though, nothing happened. If anything, he was overcome with a feeling of belonging with Vlad. Like this house was always meant to be shared.

Even Amity Park was growing the same feeling. Usually, and it still applied to most, anyone he didn’t want in the town entering would make him angry. Clockwork called Amity his ‘haunt’ sometimes. Danny wasn’t sure what that meant, and the ghost was never the telling kind, but he always likened it to someone’s bedroom, in that it was a private place you had to be invited into.

But, if this was truly his ‘haunt’, then it seemed like it made room for Vlad. Like adding an extra bed. Or a chair, whichever sounded better.

That was only the beginning of his worries though. His true worries came when he developed powers he never had (or ever thought he would have).

It happened in one particularly grueling sparring match. Vlad had wanted to test out his powers to their limits, although they did have a safeword (it was ‘Weatherboy’, for reasons Vlad didn’t get and never would).

“Come on, boy.” Vlad shouted from across the room, still upright, though Danny wasn’t. “Is that the best you can do?”

Danny pushed himself up using both of his hands. “Not even close.”

Vlad waited until he was ready to grow another pink ecto-ray in his palm, a quick warning of what was to come. Danny braced himself, ready to create a shield or freeze it, but blinked and found himself behind Vlad instead.

“What?” He blinked again, appearing somewhere else.

The pink ray disappeared from Vlad’s hand. “Are you...teleporting?”

Danny blinked again, appearing besides Vlad, scaring him for just a second. “I’m teleporting?”

“I thought only I was capable of that.” Vlad noted, following him every time he skipped around the room again. “I suppose not.”

“How do I stop?” This was cool, admittedly, but he was also getting dizzy. “I really would like to.”

“Oh butter biscuits, how did I do it?” Vlad muttered just loud enough for him to hear. His gaze kept on Danny, who kept blinking around the wide, open space. “Keep your eyes closed and focus on the part of the room you’d like to stay. Preferably the ground.”

Danny did so, picturing the floor in the middle of the room. Soon after, his feet touched the surface. After a brief pause, in which he heard Vlad land next to him, he said “Can I open my eyes now?”

“I suggest you transform. It’s hard to use that power while in human form, even accidently.”

Danny transformed like he always did, but kept his eyes closed until he felt safe opening them again. That is, it was supposed to be a normal transformation. 

“Oh fudge buckets.” Vlad muttered, then tapped him on the shoulder. Actually, he both did and didn’t. 

That feeling was explained when he looked to his side and saw another him, this time in Phantom form. Both of him yelped and jumped back, the ghost one floating several feet off the ground while the original, currently human Danny, fell to the ground.

“Duplication is now another power you have.” Vlad noted, floating up to inspect the ghost. Danny both felt and didn’t feel when Vlad poked and pinched at his face. “A very stable duplicate as well.”

“Two new powers in one day?” Danny commented, only freaking out a little bit. “How lucky.”

“If you’re looking for a way to get rid of him, then I suggest you think about it the way you think about intangibility.” Vlad floated back down to him, as calm as ever, though Danny was starting to panic. “Think about being solid and whole.”

Danny closed his eyes, thinking hard about being solid and trying very hard not to think about this duplicate going rogue.

Eventually something clicked in the back of his head, leaving him feeling heavier than before. He opened his eyes and only saw Vlad, instead of more Danny’s like he’d been worried about.

“This is quite the accomplishment.” Vlad commented idly, shifting back to his human form. “Those are two very rare powers.”

Danny found himself smiling before he could think. “Are they?”

“Incredibly so.” Vlad responded, ruffling Danny’s hair. “Quite impressive indeed.”

Danny was beaming, absolutely _beaming_ at his praise. He didn’t know why, and wouldn’t for a while, but it felt so nice to be complimented by Vlad.

In fact, he was always looking for praise, he just hadn’t noticed. He liked showing Vlad his good grades for the approval. He liked sparring because he could show off how strong he’d gotten. He liked doing anything and everything to help Vlad. 

Their relationship had certainly gotten better, but he hadn’t noticed how much better it was until now. He wouldn’t go back to the way it was, not now or ever.

But surely the feeling wasn’t recriporcated.

* * *

Vlad had flown over half of the ghost zone until he finally found the elusive tower. A constantly turning set of gears plagued the entrance, warding off any the even more elusive ghost didn’t want to be in their lair.

He was expected, as he noticed when the gears parted at the seams for him and the door slowly opened.

Wandering around the tower until he found the ghost was apparently not in their plan, since Vlad was teleported into the room the second he crossed the doorway. In the distance, he heard the doors snap shut again.

“Welcome to Long Now, Plasmius.” the ghost greeted, floating tall and commanding. “How may I help you?”

“You know why I’m here.” He said, keeping a calm tone.

“That I do.” Clockwork nodded once.

“Then you know why all of this has been happening.”

“I do.” the ghost nodded again.

Vlad paused for a second. “Will you tell me why?”

“I think you already know the answer.” Clockwork was unmoving, unblinking in their stance. 

“Why Daniel and I have been growing closer? Why I feel the need to protect him?” He paused again. “No, I for once don't understand. That is why I am asking you.”

“You believe I had something to do with this?” Clockwork kept a calm tone, though their words were somewhat viscous.

Vlad was taken aback. He had come here with the intention to confront the ghost for having an influence over Daniel. He had come here with the intention to get answers. Now all of that was coming into question.

“I’ll admit.” Clockwork said. “I convinced him to offer a truce.”

Vlad nodded once. It was something that came out of nowhere. Daniel hadn’t even seemed confident about offering it. 

“I convinced him that if a truce would not form, I would take over as his guardian.” Clockwork continued, shifting the grip on their staff. “If one would take hold, I would let it be.”

The gears began to shift in Vlad’s head. This was the plan from the beginning, most likely. Clockwork, powerful as they were, was not the proper parental figure Vlad could be, no matter how much Daniel wished it.

It was a power difference. Clockwork was the oldest ancient, practically a God. Vlad was another half-ghost like Daniel, similar in powers, especially as of late. And it made sense now that he thought about it from that standpoint. 

All of this was just the ghostly way of adoption. Shifting to make room in haunts, sharing powers, increasing attachments to one another.

“All you had to do was improve.” Clockwork added.

“Was this just some test?” Vlad asked, some anger leaking into his voice.

“No.” Clockwork replied. “This was nature taking its course.”

“So all of this was meant to be?” 

They nodded, coming just slightly closer. “Indeed.”

“This was always the plan, wasn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

“And Daniel is alright with this?” Vlad asked, finally feeling some nerve set in. “He was privy to your plan?”

“No, he was not.”

Vlad put his head in his hands. “He will hate me when he finds out this was all a set-up.”

Clockwork floated over to a blank mirror, waving their hand in front of it. Immediately the image cut to one of Daniel sleeping happily in his new bedroom. It shifted to a still image of the two of them sharing breakfast. Then it cut to them enjoying dinner at the Fenton’s, Vlad sitting comfortably between Maddie and Jack, talking to Jazz while smiling.

“Oh.” was all Vlad said.

No, Daniel wouldn’t hate him. He was as much of family as his own father, mother, and sister. He wouldn’t hate him because he couldn’t hate his family. He wouldn’t hate him because Vlad was his guardian now.

“Thank you.” He said, returning the gaze Clockwork was sending him. 

“What will you do now?” the ghost said.

Vlad paused for just a second, then gently laughed. “Return home to my child, apparently.”

“That would be a good start.”

Without another word Vlad left the tower just as he came in, by being teleported. He flew off in the direction of his haunt calling him. Daniel was waiting for him, no doubt. Whether that be for a late night snack the two of them would enjoy or just wanting him to read another story to him, that was unknown. There was only one thing that was for certain:

He had a kid to finally say ‘I love you’ to.

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off of a post about Vlad subconsciously adopting Danny I saw on Tumblr!
> 
> Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it!


End file.
